VOSD Podcast: Padres Boss on the Vacuum the Chargers Left and East Village's Future

The San Diego Padres' Ron Fowler / Photo courtesy of the San Diego Padres

As soon as the smoke from the burned Chargers jerseys clears, the Padres are hoping they might be reborn from the ashes.

You hear that, football fans? You’ve been abandoned, and the city’s baseball team is here for you.

Ron Fowler, executive chairman of the group that owns the San Diego Padres, joined hosts Scott Lewis and Andrew Keatts in the Voice of San Diego podcast studio this week to talk about how the city’s only remaining major sports team plans to fill the void left by the Chargers.

In a refreshingly candid interview, Fowler also fielded all sorts of big questions. He talked about the Padres’ new labor agreement, the team’s effort to engage a broader, more diverse audience and he even offered his thoughts on how to solve one of the city’s biggest issues – homelessness.

“I think we are finally getting the focus from the politicians, from the mayor, City Council,” he said. “It’s a priority for all these people. And I think the business community is getting more involved. … And I think we’re going to have a more collaborative approach than we’ve ever had. … It’s going to take a village to get it done.”

Fowler also shared his perspective on how the Padres plan to win big this season, and he even took on Keatts’ cries about when or if the team will ever consider going back to the brown uniforms he and other fans adore.

Also on this week’s podcast, Lewis and Keatts talk about the weather. It’s been raining! A lot! But as Voice of San Diego’s Ry Rivard found out, that doesn’t mean the drought is over. The thing is, we all have to agree on the definition of what “drought” means before we can declare its end. The duo also speculates about the future of the Chargers, especially now that Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis formally filed relocation documents to send the team to Las Vegas.

Hero of the Week

RIP, Lucy Killea. The former San Diego City Council member and state legislator died at the age of 94. She was a fearless civic leader.

Goat of the Week

A pre-emptive goat goes to District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis, who announced this week that she will not be seeking re-election. She isn’t getting the goat for that news, but Keatts argues that her attempt to lay out a succession plan for a publicly elected office, as uncovered by the U-T, is lame. Lewis thinks it’s fine.